Fashioning device for knitting-machines.



No. 797,466. PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. B. T. STEBER.

FASHIONING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 190%.

BSHEETS-SHEET 1.

fjuumqt J 5 1* 5 lwwwrdl. A 19 4 1310. 797,466. PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. B.T.STEBBR.

FASHIONING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1904.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lUN lllill) STATES PATENT OhFlUlil.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed September 29, 1904:. Serial No. 226,563-

To (bi/Z who/2t it may concern:

Be it known that I. Bnnmuml. S'rnnim, a citizen of the United States, residing at Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fashioning Devices For Knittingil/lachines; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in knitting-machines, and particularly to that class of machines which is of the circular type capable of knitting such fabrics as stockings, socks, or the like, the machine being so constructed as to have a continuous rotary movement in one direction or an oscillating movement for etlecting the formation of dii'lerent portions of the hosiery or other fabrics.

It is the object of the present ii'lvention to provide a circular knitting machine with means for raising or lowering needles separately at the end of each oscillation of the ma chine when it is operating for knitting such portions of the hosiery as the heels and toes of stockings where it is necessary to successively diminish the number of needles in operation upon each side of the machine and then to restore the same successively to operative positions.

To secure the above-named objects, the in vention consists in certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter Fully described and claimed.

in the accon'ipanying drawings, Forming a part 01 this implication, Figure l is a perspective view oi a portion of a knitting-min chine illustrating the manner of mounting the needle-operating arm or picker and themeans for moving the same into and out of operative position. Fig.2 is a perspective view of the removable canrcarrying portion of a knittingmachine cylinder, a pair of needle-elevating pickers being shown in position. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the cam-cylinder of theknitting-machine, the means for moving the pickers into and out of position being illustrated and also means for controlling the needle-depressing device. Fig. at is a detail perspective view of a pivoted arm employed in carrying one of the needle-elevating pickers. Fig. 5 is a detail view. in side elevation, showing the depressing-picker and its operating-arms. lll ig. (:3 is a detailview, in side elevation, of one a detail view, in side elevation, 01" the hook em ployed for connecting the slides which control the action of both the elevating and depressing pickers. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a knitti ngmachine looking at the n1echanism from a different position from that taken in reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 9 isa detail view looking at the inner surface of the cam-cylinder and showii'ig the position of one of the pickerarms with respect to the cam-paths Fig. 10 is a detail view illustrating the inter mediate position occupied by one of the litting-pickers. Fig. 11 is a detail view showing the spring washer or collar of the depressor-shaft for holding the shaft in its va rious adjusted positions. Fig. [2 is a detail view illustrating the position of the depressing-picker when in readil'iess't'or engagement by a needle-heel for depressing the same.

In knitting circular 't'abrics---such as, For instance, hosiery- -it' a completed article, such as a stocking or sock, is to be made without removing the same from the machine it is necessary in forming certain portions of the fabric to raise or move out oi. active position some of the needles and in other portions oi the operation it is necessary to restore the needles again to active position. The mechanism which I shall describe as embodying the features oi? my invention is adapted for this purpose and is capable ol autmnatically raising the needles one by one as required, so that they will be thrown out o[ operation and also so that they will be depressed one by one and brought back into operative position again While my invention is applicable to various types of knittingahachines in which a circular and an oscillatory movement is employed, it is especially well adapted for machines of the type described in Patent No. 743,6t5, granted to me March 1, 1904-. in this type of machines asectional cylinder is employed, one portion of which is removable and the removable portion provided with cams, which impart the proper movement to the knitting needles in the knitting operation.

Referring to the drawings showing the present invention, 1 is a cam-cylinder tor a knitting-machine. E2 is a removable cam-carrying section thereof, provided upon its inner surface with suitable cam-paths for engaging the heels of the knitting-needles, as is usual in machines of this type, and raising and loworing the said needles for accomplishing the knitting operation as the cam-cylinder is moved with respect to the needles.

As will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 2, a lowercam-path, as 3, is provided and also an upperpath &. 1V hen the needles are engaging the lower path 3, they are in operative position, and when they are elevated so that their heels engage the path 4: they are held out of operative position, since they are not carried downwardly by the portions of the cam pulling the yarn downwardly and forming the loops necessary for the fabric. In knitting the heels and toes of stockings it is necessary to lift a portion of the needles out of operative position and then continue to lift a needle out of operative position at each end of an oscillatory movement employed when working upon said heels or toes. In order to narrow the work automatically, the present invention contemplates the use of pickers. I have illustrated such pickers in the drawings and will now proceed to describe the same. Each picker mechanism is made up of a swinging arm 5, carried by the end of the rockshaft 6. The outer end of the arm 5 is ofl'set or shouldered, the offset portion projecting inwardly and having a notched end 7 of suitable shape to engage and lift the heels of the knitting-needles. The shaft 6, carrying the picker-arm, finds a bearing in the thickened end 8 of a pivoted arm 9 or 17. A spring 10 is also carried by the thickened end of said arm 9 and bears with its free end upon two flattened surfaces 11, formed upon the shaft 6, so that the arm 5 of the picker is held more or less positively in its raised or lowered position. The outer end of the shaft 6 is provided with a laterally-projecting arm or pin 12, which is engaged by a suitable device mounted upon the machine for rocking the arm, as will be h ereinafter more fully described. The shaft 6 is so mounted in the end of the arm 9 as to occupy a substantially radial position with respect to the cam-cylinder of the machine. The arm 9 is pivoted to a projecting portion 13 of the knitting-machine and is made sufficiently long to permit of its swinging movement being sufficient to carry the picker into and out of cient distance to register with the cam-paths,

as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The said aperture 1 1 is made large enough to accommodate the adjustment of the picker, permitting it to be swung to its lowered position or lifted to its raised position. The lower cam-path 3 is notched or recessed at 15 to receive the inner end of the picker, the said picker when lying in said recess having its needle-engaging surface flush with the upper surface of the lower cam-path. The

engagement of the picker with the heel of a needle causes the said needle to move the picker-arm as the cam-cylinder is continued in its rotation with respect to the needle-cylinder, and the movement of the picker-arm will continue until the notch or head 7 of the picker engages the end of the cam forming part of the cam-path. The needle will then pass from the notch in the end of the picker to the beveled end 16 of the upper cam, and thus be guided to the upper cam-path 4. To perform the usual operation of a knittingmachine for forming the heel and toe of stocking or sock, I provide the cylinder with two pickers, one upon each side of the cylinder almost opposite to each other, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The second picker is in all respects like the one already described and need not be separately set forth, the same numerals being applied to each. The second picker is mounted in an arm 17, which is curved in the opposite direction from the arm 9 and is pivoted at its end to the same portion 13 of the machineas mentioned with respect to the saidarm 9. Each of the arms 9 and 17 carries vertically-projecting pins or studs 18, which engage slots 19 in the ends of a shifting segmental plate 20. The plate 20 is movably secured upon the upper edge of the cam-segment, being held in position by headed screws or pins 21, which engage slots 22, formed in the said plate 20. The slots 19 have at their ends two concentric portions, as 23 and 24:, of different radial distances from the center of the cylinder, and these concentric portions are connected by an inclined or diagonal portion of said slot. hen the plate 20 is moved to one extremity of its path, the pins 18 will engage the inner ends of the slots 19 and the pickers will be brought to their inner operative position. l/Vhen the plate 20 is carried to the opposite extremity of its movement, the pins 18 Will engage the outer ends of the slots 19 and the pickers will be withdrawn from the cam-paths or moved outwardlyfrom their operative positions. When the pickers are thus moved in their outer positions, the inner needle-engaging ends are drawn within the apertures 14:, formed in the cylinder-wall, so as to be entirely beyond the point where they may be engaged by the heels of the needles. The pickers are thus moved entirely out of the way. The movement of the slide 20 makes it possible to have a positive control over the action of the pickers and the length of the arms 9 and 17 gives an easy movement to the free ends thereof which carry the pickers, so that it is easy to slide the plate 20 back and forth When throwing the pickers into and out of operation.

The slide-plate 20 is operated by means of a projection or handle 25, which is secured thereto in any desired manner, or it may be formed integral therewith. The handle or actuating-arm 25 projects beyond the adjavs aaee m cent arm 17, which carries one of the pickers, and is adapted to be struck by the end of a lever 26. The lever 26 is preferably a bent one, its upper end extending above the table or bed-plate 27 oi the machine, while its lower end extends below the said bed-platc,as shown at 28. The said lever 26 is pivotally secured at 29 to a projection upon the bedplate, so that the said. lever may be moved in a vertical plane. The lower end 28 01 the lever extends to a point in close proximity to a chain or moving member 37, carried by the knitting-machine. This chain 37 is an endless one and is provided at one or more points of its length with a projecting lug or stud 30. The said lug 30 preferably projects from the central portion of the link to which it is secured and is in alinement with the end of the lever 26. The chain 37 is made of such a length that as it is moved in the operation of the machine the lug 30 will be brought into engagement with the end of the lever 26 at a proper time to lift the ends of said lever, the upper end being thus brought into the path of the arm 25 as it is carried around by the cam-cylinder in its movement. The lug 30 will only engage the endot' the lever 26 a suflicient length of time to cause the plate 20 to be moved from one end of its limit to the other. As soon as the end of the lever becomes disengaged from the lug 30 by its passing from beneath the same the lever 26 will be again depressed not only by its own weight, but positively by the action of a spring 31,which is secured to the upper portion of said lever at one end and connected with the bed-plate 27 at its other end, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The size of the lug 30 is such that the lever 26 will only be elevated thereby a suiiicient length of time to cause the slide 20 to move to the extent of its guiding-slots. When said slide 20 reaches the end of its movement, the lever 26 will be dropped by the lug 30, so as to become disengaged from the arm 25. in this manner the slide will be shifted to the end of its movement, so that the pickers will be withdrawn from their operative position within the cam-cylinder. The upper armengaging end of the lever 26 is preferably formed with an articulated portion 32, which is pivoted to the body portion of said lever, as at 33. The pivoted end 32 of the said lever is normally held in its extended position by means of a spring 34L. The movement of the pivoted end 32 is limited in one direction by its abutment against the adjacent end of the lever 26. Of course if for any reason the arm 25 should be engaged by the pivoted sion of the lever .26 beyond a desired point The depresprevented by means of a pin or detent 35, which is carried by a post 36, mounted upon the bed-plate 27. The post 36 extends upwardly from the bed plate to one side of the end of the lever 26 in such a manner as to form an abutment for said lever when acting upon the arm 25.

The upper end of the lever 26 is normally held against the lateral detent 35, carried by the post 36, by means of the spring 31. As above set forth, the lever 26 is temporarily raised by the projection 30 on the chain 37 at proper intervals. The chain 37 when engaging the lever 26 is held rigidly in place by the sprocket-wheel 37, over which it passes. The said sprocket-wheel 37 is carried by a sha'lf't38, which is connected with any suitable actuating mechanism, preferably that described in my Patent No. 753,645), above referred to, so that the chain 37 operated in conjunction with the operation of the parts of the machine. This chain 37 is also provided with one or more side lugs 39, carried by the side links of the chain and moving in the path of a lever 40. The said lever etO is like the one shown in my patent referred to and for the purpose ol stopping the operation of the machine when it is struck by the lug 39, and since its operation and cllect is exactly like that set torth in my previous patent it needs no special description at this time. As shown in the drawings, the lug 39 being at one side of the chain will not engage the lever 26, but will only engage the lever all), which is out of alincmcnt with the said lever 26. The lever all) will thus notengage the log 39, carried by the chain, which is centrally arranged, so as to engage only the end of the lever 26.

The slots 19 are so formed in the slide 20 that when the arm 25 is engaged by the lever 26 the slide 20 will be moved so as to force the pins 18 of the arms 9 and i7 outwardly, and thus withdraw the lifting-pickers 7 from active position into llXGll inoperative position. When the pickers are carried inwardly to their fixed operative position, the outer ends of the shafts 6 project at such a distance from the cylinder that their lever ends or arms 12 will be in alinem'ent with operating detents or lugs secured to the bedplate oi the machine. The arm 25 is capable o'li' movement by the hand or by any other means, if preferred, lor forcing the slide 20 in such a direction as to draw the pickers inwardly. Of course, as just described above, the said slide is preferably moved automatically in the opposite di rection by the action of the lever 26. The two shafts 6 are made of diillerent lengths, so that one arm 12 is at a greater distance from the center of the cylinder than the other, and the operating detents or lugs for each, therefore, are at dillerent distances from the cylinder. Thus the arm 12 on one side of the cylinihn' is engaged by an ownhanging detent 41, while the arm 12 upon the other side of the cylinder is engaged by a detent 12. Each one of these detents, as shown in Fig. 6, is formed with a securing-base 43, from which rises a bent arm 44, the free end of the said arm carrying the depending lug or detent which engages the arm 12. By having the shafts 6 of different lengths and setting the detents in corresponding positions in relation to the said rock-shafts 6 one detent will only engage one of the arms 12, while the other one will always engage the other arm 12. In this manner, although the machine oscillates to produce almost a complete revolution at each turn, the detent ll will only operate one of the pickers, while the detent 12 will always operate the other picker. Of course when the pickers are turned outwardly from their operative positions the arms 12 will not register with the detents 11 and 12 and will not be actuated thereby.

The operation of the pickers is very simple. \Vhen they are moved inwardly by the action of the plate 20, drawing the ends of the arms 9 and 17 inwardly, the end 12 of first one and then the other of the rock-shafts will engage its respective detent 11 and 12, causing the arm to be moved to one side as the cylinder oscillates and the inner end of the picker will be depressed and brought to its position in the notch 15, formed in the lower cam-path. The continued oscillation of the cylinder will cause the heel of a needle to engage the notched end of the picker, and the picker will then elevate the needle as the cylinder moves, and as it continues its movement the heel of the needle will thus be carried to the end of the upper cam-path. The next oscillation of the cylinder on its return movement will cause the picker to be depressed again in readiness for engaging the next needle. This operation will continue until the slide 20 is moved by engaging the lever 26, when the pickers will be withdrawn from their operative position and the depressing-picker will be thrown into operation.

The mechanism for operating the depressor will now be described.

The second slide or curved plate 45 is mounted upon the cylinder 1, preferably upon the opposite side thereof from the slide 20. This slide is also provided with slots 46, which engage limiting pins or screws 17, secured tov the cylinder. The said slide 15 is provided with knocker-arms 48 and 19, which are preferably approximately L-shaped at their upper end, so that the ends can overhang and properly operate the arm 50 of the depressor 51. The depressor 51 consists of a bent or angular arm, as shown in detail in Fig. 5, the lower end of the said arm being notched, as at 52. The arm 51 is carried by a rock-shaft The standard 54 rises from the cylinder 1 at a suitable point thereon, and its upper end is bent inwardly to a slight degree, as shown at 54, in order to secure the proper angle for the inclined shaft 53. The outer end of the shaft 53 not only carries the arm 50, which is engaged by the knockers 4:8 and 49 upon the slide 15, but also carries an additional arm 53, by which the depressor may be brought into its needle-engaging position after each oscillation of the cylinder. The arm 53 projects beyond the cylinder and engages the upper end of a post or standard 55, which rises from the bedplate of the machine. \Vhen the arm 50 of the depressor is engaged by the knocker 4:9, the said knocker being held against the said arm by the slide 45 when it is at one end of its limited movement, the picker or depressor which projects inside of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 3, will be lifted sufiiciently high to not engage the heels of any of the knittingneedles. Upon shifting the plate 15 to its opposite position the knocker 19 will be,

moved away from the arm 50, and the knocker 18 will engage the same and rock the shaft 53 sufficiently to bring the depressor 51 sufficiently low to engage the heel of the first needle which reaches the same. The engagement of the needle with the depressor will of course continue the downward movement thereof until the said needle engages the lower cam-path and can free itself from the notched end of the depressor. The needle is thus returned to active position. The continued movement of the cylinder will cause the arm 53 at the outer end of thepicker-shaft to engage the standard 55 and lift the depressor again to the height of the heels of the needles which are out of action. The depressor is thus in position again to engage the next needle upon the opposite side of the machine. The continued oscillation of the machine will thus turn the depressor first in one direction and then in the other, so as to engage the heels of the needles first upon one side and then upon the other, the cylinder returning the said needles one by one to active positions.

It is preferable to make the movement of the slide 45 dependent upon the movement of the slide 20, so that the depressor will be antomatically thrown into operation immediately upon the withdrawal of the lifting-pickers from operative position. For this purpose I provide one end of the slide 45 with a pivoted connecting link or hook bar 56. The said bar 56 is pivoted at one end to the end of the slide 45, while at its other end it is provided with a depending projection 57, forming a hook which is capable of engaging an aperture or hole 58, formed in the adjacent end of the slide-plate 20. The connecting hook-bar 56 is provided with a handle 59, which extends outwardly therefrom and by which the said hook-bar can be thrown over upon its pivot from one side to the other.

'ra'aaee The arm 59 :is so positioned upon the connecting hooked link 56 that when the link is thrown backwardly upon the plate T5 the said handle or projection 59 will engage a vertical standard 80, which extends from the cylinder and around the outer edge of the plate 4C5. By the engagement of the arm 59 with the standard 60 the plate 45 will be held at one extremity of its movement that is to say, in position to hold, by means of its knockerarm 49, the depressor out of operative position. Vi hen it becomes the proper time for using first the elevating-picker and then the depressing-picker, the link-hook 56 is turned outwardly and downwardly, so that the projection 57 engages the aperture 58, tying the two plates 20 and a5 together. The slide 20 is then moved to the position shown in Fig. 3, so that the elevating-pickers are brought into operative position. After the liftingpickers have completed their work and the slide 20 is automatically moved by the arm 26, so as to withdraw the elevatingpickers, the movement of the slide 20 will at the same time be imparted to the slide &5 through the agency of the connecting-hook 56, and the depressor will be thrown, as above described, into position for working.

lit will be seen that the shaft 53 assumes stated positions, and in order to hold the shaft with some degree of positiveness in each of its movements 1 provide a collar 61 upon the said shaft 53, forming the same with a plurality of faces which are engaged by a flat spring 62, mounted adjacent thereto. The spring is not sufficiently strong to prevent the easy movement of the shaft 53 to its various positions; but the said spring assists in holding the depressor more exactl y in the position to which it is brought.

The shaft 53 above named is preferably inclined with respect to the vertical walls of the cylinder for the reason that with the bent arm shown as the depressor the said depressor can be made to occupy in its various movements positions which are practically the same distances always from the face of the cylinder and with respect to the needles. When the depressor is lowered, as shown in Fig. 5, the end of the arm 51 is at the greatest distance which the shaft 53 will remove it from the center of the cylinder. As shaft 53 is rocked in either direction the arm 51 will be raised, and the outer end 52 will be moved inwardly, because of the inclined position of the shaft. This, however, only tends to maintain the distance between the end of the said arm and the curvature of the cylinder practically the same.

While the detents 4:1 and &2 maybe carried by rigid supporting means, as above described, it will be evident, by reference to Fig. 8, that such detent as shown in a modified form at 63 maybe carried by a pivoted arm. 64;. The

arm 64: in this instance is pivoted to an upntt I tall right or standard 65, projecting from the bedplate of the machine, and a spring, as 66, is so arranged as to project from the said standard and engage a portion of the arm carrying the detent in such a manner that the arm may be moved in one direction, but will be rigid when engaged from the other side. The advantage of such a structure will be ap parent, since if one of the arms 12 should engage the detent from, the wrong side the arm carrying the detent would yield and not permit any damage to come to the parts. Qf course when traveling in the right direc tion the arm 12 will be turned downwardly by its engagement with the said detent 63.

With a machine equipped in the manner above described, with elevating-pickers and depressors, it is a simple matter to knit stockings or socks, and the operation of the machine is as follows: The machine is first started in its rotary movement, having a continuous motion in one direction, so as to knit the leg and ankle of the stocking. At a suitable point a portion of the needles are elevated out of operation, as described in my previous patent, and the slide 20 is then moved into such a position as to bring the pickers inwardly to their operative positions. The cylinder is then oscillated, being moved back and forth for almost a complete revolution at every movement. The pickers will thus operate to elevate a needle out of operation first upon one side and then upon the other until the desired number of needles have been lifted out of operative position. At this point the cam projection on the chain will raise the lever 26, so as to temporarily engage the arm .25 of the slide 20 and move it to its other position for retracting the pickers. At the same time the slide is moved, so as to bring the depressor into operation, and the continued oscillation of the machine will continue the returning of needles to operative position. in this manner the heel of the stocking may be completed, after which all the needles are restored to their active position and the foot portion of the stocking is knitted. The tee is then constructed in the same manner as just described with respect to the heel, the stocking being thus con'ipleted.

it will be apparent that the operation of the mechanism is simple and yet effective for the purpose desired.

Having thus described my invention, what ll. claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a movable cam-cylinder for engaging the heels of, knitting-needles, of movable pickercarriers mounted on said cylinder, needlelifting picker mechanisms mounted upon said carriers, the movements of said carriers operating to bring the picker mechanisms into a lixed operative position or a lined inoperative position. i

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of needle-lifting pickers movably mounted thereon, pivoted arms secured to the cylinder and carrying the said pickers, the pickers being mounted adjacent the free ends thereof, and means operable for moving the arms toward the cylinder to bring and hold the pickers in operative position, the said means being also operable for moving and holding the pickers away from the cylinder and out of operative position.

3. In a knitting-machine, a needle-operating cylinder, pivoted arms carried by said cylinder and capable of movement away from and toward the same and rocking needle-actuating pickers carried by the said arms, the movement of the arms causing the moving and holding of the said pickers either in or out of operative position.

4. A knitting-machine, the combination of a cam-cylinder, pivoted arms mounted upon the said cylinder and capable of movement at their free ends away from and toward the cylinder, needle-pickers carried by the free ends of said arms, comprising rock-shafts and needle-engaging arms projecting therefrom.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a cam-cylinder having apertured walls, swinging arms carried by the said cylinder, rock-shafts journaled in the free ends thereof, picker-arms carried by the rock-shafts and held so as to be opposite the apertures in the walls of the cylinder, and means for swinging said arms to bring the said pickerarms within the cylinder into operative position.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a cam-cylinder, swinging members mounted thereon, picker mechanisms carried by the swinging members and capable of elevating needles from their operative position and a reciprocating member carried by the cylinder and capable of moving the swinging members back and forth to bring the picker mechanisms into a fixed operative position or fixed inoperative position.

7. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a cam-cylinder, swinging arms pivoted thereon, a slide carried by the cylinder, and engaging the free ends of said arms for moving them in and out, and pickers carried upon the free ends of said arms.

8. In a knitting-machine the combination of a cam-cylinder, a swinging arm mounted thereon, a needle-actuating picker carried by the free end of said arm, a slide capable of reciprocation carried by the cylinder and provided with a slot and a pin carried by the free end of said arm and engaging the said slot, the reciprocation of the slide operating to swing the arm and move the picker into and out of operative position.

9. A knitting-machine comprising a cylinder having a removable cam-section, rocking needle-pickers mounted upon said cam-sectiou, the said section having apertures for re ceiving the said pickers, and means operable for moving the rocking pickers toward and away from the said apertures.

10. In a knitting-machine the combination of a cam-cylinder, pickers mounted thereon comprising radially-arranged rock-shafts, and

means for moving the rock-shafts out of their radial positions, and moving them back thereto for holding them in or out of operative position.

11. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a cam-cylinder having apertures formed in its wall, arms pivotally mounted outside the cylinder, needle-engaging pickers carried by the said arms and comprising rock-shafts which are journaled in the arms opposite to the apertures in the cylinder, and means for moving the arms for carrying the pickers bodily out of or into operative position.

12. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of arms pivoted upon the same, rock-shafts journaled in the ends of the arms, one end of each rock-shaft carrying a picker, while the other end is provided with an actuating-arm, detents mounted adjacent to the cylinder for engaging the actuatingarms and means for swinging the picker-carrying arms.

13. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of elevating and depressing picker devices, movable carriers for the picker devices capable of carrying said devices into fixed operative position or fixed inoperative position and stationary means for holding the depressing-picker devices.

14. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of elevating and depressing rocking pickers, a reciprocating segmental slide carried by the cylinder for bringing the said pickers into and out of a fixed operative position, to begin their work, the reciprocation of the slide causing the moving of the lifting-pickers away from or toward the cylinder, while the same movement of the slide causes the rocking of the depressingpickers into and out of operative position.

15. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of elevating and depressing pickers extending into the same, segmental slides mounted upon the cylinder, means for connecting the said slides and means for reciprocating the slides whereby the pickers are brought into and out of a fixed operative position.

16. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam -cylinder, of needle-actuating picker devices carried thereby, a reciprocating slide for causing the movement of the picker devices into fixed operative position or fixed inoperative position, an abutment-lever capable of being brought into engagement with the slide for changing this position and thereby the position of the picker devices and a traveling mechanism engaging said lever for elevating it into the path of the said slide temporarily.

17. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a camcy1inder, of oscillating pickers mounted thereon with their axes extending 1tCl'ltll V when the pickers are in operative position, a slide for controlling the position in which the pickers are held, the said slide having an arm projecting therefrom, a lever pivoted to the bed-plate of the machine capable of projecting at one end into the path of the said arm when elevated, and means operated by the mechanism of the knitting-machine for lifting the said arm and thus moving the slide.

18. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of needle-engaging pickers carried thereby, a reciprocating slide for controlling the position in which the pickers are held, a lever pivoted to the bed-plate of the machine and extending above the same at one end while at the other end it projects heneath the bed-plate, a chain carried by the machine and operated in connection therewith and a lug carried by the chain for elevating the said lever and causing it to temporarily engage the reciprocating slide for changing the position in which the pickers are held.

19. in a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of means for lifting needles out of operative position, means for depressing the needles again comprising a pickerarm, a rock-shaft carrying the same, means for holding the said rock-shaft in an inclined position, and means for moving the rock-shaft to different points in its rotation for holding the depressor in or out of operative position,

20. In a knittingenachine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of a needle-depressing picker, an inclined shaft carrying the same, an arm projecting from said shaft, a slide mounted on the cylinder, knocker-arms projecting i at i n upwardly from the slide and means for reciprocating the slide, the said knocker-ar1ns moving the shaft so as to bring the depressor into or out of operative position.

21. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam-cylinder, of a depressing-picker, a rock-shaft carrying the same, an arm on the outer end of the rock-shaft for returning the picker to its needle-engaging position after each operation, a projection carried by the machine for engaging the said arm and a reciprocating member mounted upon the cylinder for moving and holding the picker out of the position in which it engages needles and permitting it to be moved into position again for engaging the needles.

22. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a cam cylinder, of a rocking picker mounted adjacent thereto the axis of said picker extending at an inclination to a horizontal plane, a needle-engaging arm forming a part of the picker and moving adjacent to the surface of the cylinder, the inclination of the picker causing the needle-engaging end of the arm to occupy positions in all points of its operation approximately in the arc of the cylinder.

.23. In a knitting-machine, the combination With a cam-cylinder, of a needle-de iircssing device formed with an inclined shaft extending obliquely to the walls of the cylinder and. a needle-engaging portion projecting from the shaft, the inclination of the shaft serving to cause said portion to move substantially in the arc of the cylinder.

in testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD T. STEBER.

Witnesses:

FRANK Santeria, CLARA Gunmen. 

